Chapter 3
Somewhere in that resentful expression was also a clear sense of guilt. I wanted to comfort him, tell him there was no need for that—that I was just doing this to make my own life easier—but the loyal Hyunjae probably wouldn’t understand. I slowly raised my hand and tapped him.
“Relax your face. Were you the one who got hit?”
Only then did Hyunjae hesitantly speak.
“…I’m sorry.”
“You? Why?”
“Just because.”
I hugged Hyunjae. Since I was lying down when I pulled him close, we ended up in an awkward position, but Hyunjae didn’t particularly resist and let himself be drawn in. His body in my arms felt hot. I held that strangely warm body and patted Hyunjae’s back.
“What’s there to be sorry about when you’re stronger than me?”
Being strong isn’t something to apologize for. At least not for Hyunjae. Even though I’d naturally experienced emotional connections with people over these nine years, Hyunjae was still the “protagonist” to me. It’s natural for him to be strong, and he needs to be strong for me to survive. And if I were strong, there’s a high chance I’d be pushed into his adversary role. That’s why I chose to be weak.
Yes, it’s just strategic positioning. But since I’m also human, I couldn’t help absorbing Hyunjae’s emotions. Somehow, his sadness made me a bit sad too. I sniffled and wiped my nose pathetically.
“If you’re sorry, then get stronger.”
“Yeah.”
“Get really, incredibly strong.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re answering so damn quickly.”
“You’re the one who asked, Chanhee.”
He truly couldn’t be more loyal.
“This is why people call you a hunting dog and stuff.”
“Then I’ll be that.”
“Are you crazy? I hate it, it’s cringy.”
I shoved Hyunjae away gruffly. Three minutes was enough for two guys to hug and get weepy together. Taking care of the protagonist’s mental state was exhausting in so many ways. Especially in cases like Hyunjae, whose personality had completely changed from the original story. Whether from holding back tears or not, Hyunjae’s face and ears had turned red, and the truth is… he was fucking handsome. When he was young, he was so pretty he could be mistaken for a girl, but as he grew up, he became devastatingly handsome. Is it inevitable because he’s the protagonist? Yu Chanhee isn’t ugly either, but befitting a villain, his features are a bit rough.
“Still, I’ll protect you no matter what, Chanhee.”
It was an embarrassing thing to say, but it was like receiving a promise of the protagonist’s protection. I nodded with a smile.
True to his character as someone who cares about public opinion more than anyone, my father banned me from going to school for a few days.
Even before Yu Dohyun achieved the number one ranking, this family was already a fairly prominent Ranker household. Life scientists claimed that “mana is applied randomly to everyone without discrimination,” but people didn’t believe it at all. Mana is hereditary. It was like a rumor, yet close to an established theory. This was because Rankers who continued across generations all came from similar families. My father had maintained a position in the top 10 of first-generation Rankers until he retired as a Hunter.
So there was no way my father could tolerate someone like me. Father had loved, worshipped, and blindly believed in my brother more than anyone. The only reason Yu Hyunjae could stay in this house was because of one thing: Yu Dohyun’s request. He’d protected Hyunjae until the very end. There was no way my parents could abandon him—he was like a memento of Dohyun.
Hyunjae seemed anxious about leaving me behind to go to school. I forced him to go even though he didn’t want to, then lay back down on my bed. With nothing else to do anyway, I figured I’d play some mobile games.
I fell asleep without realizing it while playing. And when I opened my eyes again, as if it were a lie, my father was standing in front of me. I jolted upright, startled. According to the original story, Yu Dohyun had looked exactly like my father. Sharp eyes, a well-defined body even with age. I wondered if Dohyun had been like this too. Ah, it seems I might have inherited the nasty looks.
“If you were here, you could have woken me up…”
Having been beaten badly just a few days ago, I didn’t try to be particularly friendly, but I didn’t want to show hostility either.
“Does it hurt?”
Isn’t that too absurd a question for the perpetrator to ask? I rubbed my bruised face and shook my head.
“Eat lunch.”
Just to say that, he came all the way here? I watched my father’s back as he opened the door and left, feeling somewhat bewildered. Surely he’s not the kind of fairy tale character who loves his child even while beating them? Anyway, since this had never happened before, I hurriedly tried to recall the original story. No major event is supposed to be changing.
When I went to the kitchen, my mother was sitting there too. Her face seemed to say she was pained by my appearance but pretending not to notice. After the tense meal ended, my father called me to his room. Until then, I had this amusing thought that surely this man wouldn’t do something melodramatic like throwing ointment at me.
But as soon as the door closed, I couldn’t help being shocked by what he handed me.
“Father, this is…”
“How long are you going to keep trailing behind Yu Hyunjae?”
To be precise, he’s the one following me…
I didn’t bother correcting him and looked straight at my father.
“Inject it once a day. Never let Hyunjae find out.”
“Father!”
I threw away what he’d given me. This man was seriously mistaken right now.
“Do I not look like your child?”
My father looked at me with sunken eyes.
“Child?”
He laughed as if it was absurd.
“Well, I’m not a good enough father to support a child with no strength.”
It felt like my heart dropped. I thought there wouldn’t be much impact since they weren’t my real parents, but after living together for almost ten years, had I grown attached? No—how could I find fresh disappointment in a man who habitually beats his child?
“If you want to keep eating here until graduation, do as you’re told.”
“I don’t want to.”
I kicked the envelope at my feet for good measure.
“Are you afraid of the side effects?”
“Of course not. Being your son, I’m not afraid of such things.”
My father raised one eyebrow.
“Does a normal father typically suggest his son break the law?”
The drug my father was telling me to inject was a kind of modified steroid that amplified mana at the cost of tremendous side effects. Not only was it life-threatening, but it was also a top-tier drug strictly prohibited to prevent misuse in selection tests. Probably in the original story, Yu Chanhee had continuously taken the pill form of this.
“The law?”
My father snorted. Well, I guess the adult world sorts itself out. I decided to stand my ground for now. Actually, even in the original story, Chanhee wasn’t held legally responsible for taking the drug. It was all thanks to his distinguished father. Chanhee had used the power of this drug to perform necromancy and summon corpses. And then the side effects of the drug and the forcibly absorbed power of Dohyun had clashed, nearly turning him into a half-corpse. In other words, the moment I take this drug, I’d be entering the express lane to death.
“And in a normal parent-child relationship, wouldn’t you ask why I don’t develop my abilities? Even if not kindly.”
My father said nothing. I gave a slight bow, then turned to leave the room.
“It’s been ten years since your brother died.”
“Yes.”
“Haven’t you had any thoughts at all in these ten years?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t you feel anything toward Yu Hyunjae?”
My father looked angry. Only then could I understand what he was trying to say. It seemed that not only my mother but also my father harbored intense hatred for Yu Hyunjae.
“You have a morbid taste, Father.”
“…”
“Keeping and feeding someone you want to kill for ten years, and trying to get revenge through your own child.”
Of course, the reason my parents hadn’t abandoned Hyunjae was because of Dohyun’s dying wish, but I didn’t care much about that.
“Your brother wasn’t someone who deserved to die like that!”
“It was my brother’s choice!”
I finally couldn’t hold it in and shouted. My mother, who’d heard us shouting at the top of our lungs, burst into the room.
“Find someone else.”
I brushed past my mother, opened the door, and left. I could roughly understand why the Yu Chanhee from the original story had been so twisted. His parents only saw him as a tool for revenge, and Hyunjae, despite being powerless, was more outstanding than him.
And that afternoon, we received a notification that traces of a Gate formation had been detected. With rotten luck, it was near our house. They said they’d convene a meeting the next day, but for some reason, several men visited our house as soon as evening fell. Uniformed and with rigid expressions—they were obviously government officials from the Combat Division. They made odd expressions when they saw me and Hyunjae standing in the hallway. What nasty dispositions. I deliberately didn’t greet them and grabbed Hyunjae’s arm.
“Hyunjae.”
Just as we were about to close the door, my father called out to Hyunjae. His tone was so low it gave me chills. Hyunjae looked back and forth between me and my father, then quietly followed him into the room. I stood alone in the hallway, unable to return to my room.
Hyunjae came out not long after. His expression was indifferent. Come to think of it, whenever Hyunjae wore that expression, he always looked colder than usual.
“What happened?”
I asked urgently, but Hyunjae just shrugged. That quickly, he erased his blank face and smiled brightly, putting his arm around my shoulders. I had a bad feeling, but no matter how much I pressed him, Hyunjae wouldn’t give an answer.
“You bastard.”
“Why the sudden cursing?”
“You usually listen so well.”
Hyunjae hesitated, then tightened his arm around my shoulders. And a few days later, I learned through the news that Hyunjae would be participating in a Gate subjugation battle. It was something completely absent from the original story.
Suddenly, I remembered those red letters flickering against the gray background. <The world is being distorted.>
